No.
This girl.
This girl was unforgettable.
“So anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted,” Ash tossed out at Tamar, his blue eyes glaring wide, “this crazy bitch was suddenly on the dirty, grimy floor. I don’t know if she tripped or launched herself at me, or what, but there she was, wrapped around my leg while I’m trying to shake her off like a bad dream. I fucking panicked. Like panicked. Started hauling her ass across the floor while she’s hanging on.”
He shook his leg to demonstrate.
“Then she turns tactic and starts pleading with me that she’d seen a psychic and I’m her soul mate and I just don’t know it yet, but we were gonna have three boys named Kurt, Kaleb, and Kyle, and we were going to live on a farm in Missouri. At that point, I literally had to pry this girl’s fingers from my legs because I’d had enough psycho for the night.”
Somehow he both shivered and grinned. “I mean, I know I’m irresistible and all, but come on, a farm in Missouri? And three boys? Pssh. This girl obviously didn’t know me at all. She had to be lyin’.”
I busted out laughing. “You think she was lying, huh? What clued you in? And since when are you so selective?”
“Since this one could probably break me in half.”
Ash took a swig of his beer, forehead bent up like he was deep in thought. “In all honesty, I totally get it and I don’t blame the girl.” He stretched his arms out wide, smiling like the cocky bastard he was. “Girls can’t resist grabbing on and going for a ride.”
“Seriously, Ash!” Tamar shook her head, stirring me up with the throaty lilt of her laugh. “Did you ever hear of this little thing called humility?”
He frowned. “What’s that? It sounds like a terrible disease. I pray I don’t catch it.”
“You’re such an asshole,” she teased with a smile as she took another sip. That mouth wrapped around the lip of the bottle, and I squirmed in my seat.
Damn.
With her arms draped around Baz’s neck, Shea grinned at him. “Come on, Ash, don’t act like we can’t see your hand. Your poker face isn’t all that great and Tamar and I are totally onto your game. Look at this big old house begging to be filled up with a bunch of babies. Before you know it, you’re going to have a herd of baby Ashes running up and down the stairs.”
Her eyes bounced around to everyone. “Y’all just wait. I’m putting down bets. A hundred bucks.”
Zee hopped up and clapped his hands together. “I’ll take that bet and raise you a hundred, because there isn’t a girl in her right mind who’s going to stick around here long enough to put up with his ass.”
Ash smirked at Zee. “All except for you.”
“Dude…so not cool. Not cool at all,” Zee said with a slow, offended shake of his head.
Ash swiveled and pointed at Shea’s belly, and his voice slanted in artificial sincerity. “And in case you all hadn’t noticed, Baz Boy up and went and stole my girl…my dearest, Beautiful Shea. I had to bear the crushing news that baby’s not mine. All my chances have been shot to hell. Heart broken. Happiness gone.”
He feigned a gasp and a heart stab with a slow, agonizing death as he dropped to his knees.
On all things holy, it had to be Ash who was the nut job and not the girl.
Giggling, Shea ran her hand over her belly that seemed to have doubled in size since the wedding. Baz set his hand protectively over hers.
Tamar had her attention on Shea, focused on the two-intertwined hands on her belly. She smiled their way. It was soft, sweet Blue that shined through in her expression while I was doing my best to look away.
It wasn’t like I didn’t like kids. I fucking loved Kallie, that sweet little girl who tagged around at our heels like we were the coolest things in the world.
She was always telling me wild stories about butterflies and fairies and all things unattainable, her tales always chasing after that absurd happily ever after. The kind she hadn’t been around long enough to know not a whole lot of people ever found. Funny thing, I didn’t mind listening. Maybe it was because she reminded me of my little niece.
But there was something about Shea’s protruding belly that left me feeling cagey. Itchy and agitated whenever she was around. Still, I’d gone and gotten stupid and gave her that damned bear like doing it could possibly be a good idea.
But this was Baz’s baby we were talking about.
And Baz deserved it.
He deserved it all.
I attempted to shake off the thoughts. That was one rabbit hole I didn’t need to fall down, even though lately Blue had seemed intent to drag me into it.
Instead, I tried to relax and stretched my legs out on either side of her. She wound her arm around my leg and pressed her head to the inside of my thigh. She shifted her head back and looked at me upside down.